SC braces for PDM sit-in tomorrow

The Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) is all set to hold a sit-in outside the Supreme Court on Monday (tomorrow) to protest the judiciary’s undue facilitation to PTI Chairman Imran Khan.

The protest sit-in is coincided with the hearing of the Election Commission of Pakistan’s plea asking the top court to revisit its order of holding elections to the Punjab Assembly on May 14. The petition will be heard a day after the court-ordered election deadline lapses.

In this connection, a meeting was held on Saturday presided over by the Supreme Court’s registrar to discuss security plan and arrangements for the deployment of law-enforcement personnel but no representative of the Islamabad police attended the huddle. The SC registrar expressed his concerns over the lack of cooperation by the Islamabad police.

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Meanwhile, Information Minister Marriyum Aurangzeb said that PML-N Senior Vice President Maryam Nawaz had arrived in Islamabad to participate in the sit-in.

The minister said in a news statement that on the instructions of PML-N supremo Nawaz Sharif and his brother Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, Maryam would represent the party in the PDM sit-in. She added that the PML-N would participate in the sit-in under Maryam's leadership.

On Saturday, PML-N leaders attended a meeting held at the party’s secretariat in Model Town and decided to fully participate in the protest. During the meeting, the PML-N leaders were assigned various tasks in connection with the participation in the sit-in outside the apex court.

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It was decided that the PML-N would reach Islamabad with a large number of activists from Lahore. The party’s student wing, Muslim Students Federation (MSF), has been assigned special tasks for the rally and sit-in.

Separately, PDM President Maulana Fazlur Rehman released a video message, appealing the masses to reach Islamabad and participate in the “peaceful” protest.

He asked that all convoys should reach at 9am outside the SC building to establish national unity. The Maulana maintained that a three-member SC bench and high court judges had granted protection to a convict, referring to Imran.

He continued that they had to protect the country's institutions and “correct” the “wrongdoings” of judges. The PDM president pointed out that judges were paid their salaries from the taxes of the poor people of the country. He added that judges today were violating the Constitution, law and judicial traditions.

Again referring to the PTI chief, Fazl claimed that a criminal was unilaterally being protected, and given VIP protocol. “That criminal is encouraged to commit more crimes and destroy the economy,” he continued.

The JUI-F chief said they have been in the field before. “Today it is necessary to come in the field once again,” he added. The Maulana said he was inviting activists and the people to reach Constitution Avenue on Monday.

“The battle for the supremacy of the Constitution has to be fought, and lawyers have always made sacrifices for this cause,” he added.

The PDM president continued that today, it was once again necessary that lawyers also came to the field.

He appealed to the activists of every political party to make Monday’s protest to a national one.

“The nation protests against such indiscipline, partiality and overstepping of its authority by the institutions,” he added.

The JUI-F chief said they would reach Constitution Avenue together and send a strong message that the courts should "mend their ways".